The best time of day to drink coffee really depends on why you’re drinking it. If you need a pick-me-up right when you wake up, drinking it in the morning can be beneficial.
However, drinking coffee on an empty stomach can be aggravating for some people, so you may want to wait and have it with breakfast.
“There’s a tendency to think it’s virtuous to only drink black coffee before eating anything, but coffee is not the same as breakfast,” says Cording. “While it’s perfectly fine to have black coffee on an empty stomach if you feel good doing it, each person is unique in terms of what they need to thrive.”
Some health experts, such as neuroscientist Andrew Huberman Ph.D., suggest that many people would also benefit from delaying their caffeine intake at least 90 minutes after waking up. This gives your body time to wake up naturally and it may help you get through the afternoon without needing more coffee (which will benefit your sleep).
If you want to reap the potential performance-enhancing benefits of caffeine, want to drink it about 30 minutes prior to a workout.
It’s also a good idea to stop drinking caffeinated coffee at least six hours before bedtime34 and cap your daily caffeine intake at around 400 milligrams (4-5 cups of black coffee) per day, according to Cording. Otherwise, it has the potential to disrupt your sleep.
